The Last Crow
by W0NWILL
Summary: The world was chaos. Choking black dust swirled all around the cavern that used to be Korvus Skur's. Now it was Death's.  Almost nothing was spared.  Almost.


Chapter One

Several seasons passed. A family of little owls was hunting. Perhaps I shouldn't call it that. A family of birds was hunting. Most of them were little owls, except for the crow, he was told that the mother owl had dug him out of a cave, so he chose his name, as was little owl custom, to be Cavernbeak, or Kavbey. He grew up as a little owl, but he knew he didn't belong with the owls. But they were family.

0o0o0o0o

The large oak where they live was dead and rotten, but it was home. At least until They came. They came one day, it was sunny and clear, not the sort of day you would expect something life changing to happen, but happen it did. A gang of ravens, crows, and rooks came to the old tree were the happy family lived. "No, don't kill them! Kill me if you must, but don't kill the young ones or my wife!" The father owl was pleading with the leader.  
"Rakak! This fool thinks we won't kill his wife or chicks! Chawha!" the other carrion laughed along obediently with their leader. Kavbey and the two owl chicks huddled near the back of the hollow, in the shadows. They huddled together while the awful slaughter took place, unable to watch.  
"Look, there's the chicks, they'll make a good meal! Chawk!"  
The leader buffeted him with his wing, "Wait! There's more than these two, it's a crow chick!" He thrust his face close to Kavbey's. "How did a crow chick get here? Rak!"  
Some unexplainable courage came over Kavbey, "I have a right to be with my family!"  
The leader raven cackled harshly "Talks pretty, don't he?" The others laughed with him dutifully. "I don't like traitors, especially if they're traitors to their species, I also don't like smart mouths." He savagely ripped a bundle of feathers from Kavbey's wing. He kept inflicting horrible injuries on Kavbey. He ran for the entrance hole and jumped. His injured wing did nothing to slow his hit the ground and kept on running as fast as his short legs could carry him. Saying silent thanks that his hollow was close to the ground, for the the tree was propped between the fork of an ash. He ran, expecting cruel claws to grab his back at any moment. After he was a fair ways away from the tree, he stopped and hid in the roots of a rowan tree. His dark feathers were the perfect camouflage. After several moments he realized that he was breathing so loud, they would've heard him by now if they were anywhere near. He came out, looking around warily. It didn't seem like anybeast was around. At a harsh cry he dived back into his shelter. He stayed perfectly still, gazing at the legs of a rook that had landed right in front of him. After what seemed like an age the rook flew off. Kavbey started breathing again. After laying there for a few minutes more he worked up the courage to move out again. After tensing to dive into his shelter he waited. It seemed the birds had gone. He started flapping his wing experimentally. He couldn't fly, he needed a healer. He staggered back into his hole and scrapped out the decaying leaves. That done, he settled down to sleep until night.

0o0o0o0o

The next morning Kavbey woke up, stretched and clicked his beak. Reality struck him like a thunderbolt. He shot out of his hole and ran in a random direction. That direction happened to be north, towards Redwall Abbey.

0o0o0o0o

"C'daver! The scouts have not found the traitor. Rakah!"  
The raven glared at the rook that had just reported to him. "From now on, you will address me as lord C'daver or lord. Now get out of my sight!"  
The rook bowed hastily and backed out of the hollow that used to belong to the little owls and Kavbey. C'daver dug his talons into the flesh of one of the chicks. The crow wouldn't be a problem to his plan. If everything worked out he would be nesting in the redbrick house within a fortnight. He ran out of the hollow and with a few strong flaps he was airborne. His harsh cries echoed around the trees. Mean yellow eyes watched him circle around the trees. A stoat growled at a group hidden nearby, "Kill them!" A horde of stoats, weasels, and ferrets charged the birds. The slaughter began.

**Notice: I updated Lost Adventures on the Redwall forum at redwall abbey .com  
**


End file.
